Musical obsession or pseudohallucination: Electrophysiological standpoint

Reported herein is a case of obsessive–compulsive disorder with persistent and distressing musical obsessions along with other symptoms. Advanced source analysis of electroencephalographic data indicated high spectral power over the bifrontal region. The musical symptoms were resistant to pharmacotherapy but there was some reduction in frequency and duration of musical obsessions with thought-stopping technique.     

More-sensitive enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique for procainamide and N-acetylprocainamide in plasma, serum, and urine

A commercially available (Syva Co.) enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT) for the quantitative determination of procainamide (PA) and N-acetylprocainamide (NAPA) was modified to allow automated quantitative analysis of approximately 100 samples per day, in a working range of 0.1 to 2.0 micrograms/mL. Such a test was needed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of controlled-release dosage forms characterized by long half-lives at low plasma concentration. Analytical recovery of PA and NAPA from serum, plasma, and urine was satisfactory, but at extreme ratios for PA:NAPA the accuracy of determining the lower-concentration component became unsatisfactory. In fact, however, we found no such ratios in 5400 clinical samples assayed by this procedure.     

The relations among putative biorisk markers in schizotypal adolescents: minor physical anomalies, movement abnormalities, and salivary cortisol.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that prenatal insult may play a role in the etiology of psychotic disorders. Minor physical anomalies (MPA) are an indicator of abnormal fetal development and are elevated in individuals at genetic and behavioral risk for psychosis. Yet, there has been little empirical research on the relationships between MPAs and other neurobiological risk indicators. We hypothesized that the frequency of MPAs (an external marker of prenatal central nervous system [CNS] disruption) would be associated with two other biomarkers suggestive of disruptions in fetal neurodevelopment: movement abnormalities (an indicator of striatal abnormalities) and heightened cortisol secretion (an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA]/hippocampal function). METHODS: Participants with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD; n = 39) and both normal (n = 47) and other personality disorders (n = 28) control subjects were administered structured diagnostic interviews and assessed for MPAs, movement abnormalities, and salivary cortisol. RESULTS: Schizotypal personality disorder participants showed significantly greater MPAs and movement abnormalities and higher cortisol than both the normal and other personality disorders groups. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that higher rates of MPAs were linked with greater movement abnormalities and salivary cortisol. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that MPAs serve as a marker of neurodevelopmental abnormalities that affect striatal and hippocampal regions.     

Uterine lipoleiomyomas: a clinicopathologic study of 50 cases.

Lipoleiomyoma is an uncommon uterine neoplasm and, although presumed to be benign, has been inadequately studied. Confirming the benign nature of this tumor is important because it can closely resemble well-differentiated liposarcoma. We evaluated 50 consecutive lipoleiomyomas diagnosed at the Washington Hospital Center from 1998 to 2004; 2.1% of patients who had uterine leiomyomas during this period had a lipoleiomyoma. The mean and median patient age was 54 and 51 years, respectively. The mean and median tumor size was 4.6 and 2.1 cm, respectively. Forty-three (83%) tumors were located in the uterine corpus, and 7 (13%) were in the cervix. One broad ligament tumor and one retroperitoneal tumor were also studied. The mitotic index was zero for all tumors. No tumors displayed cytological atypia, necrosis, calcification, or other degenerative changes. Follow-up periods ranged from 1.8 to 7.5 years (mean, 5.0 years). Four patients died of unrelated causes. There were no recurrences or fatalities related to tumor. Lipoleiomyoma of the uterus seems to have an uneventful clinical course and can now be confidently regarded as benign.     

Cervical spine trauma

Traumatic injuries to the cervical spine are often difficult to detect and are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Along with standard trauma radiographs, a thorough physical examination and meticulous documentation are of the utmost importance because many neurologic injuries evolve over time. Although many injuries to the cervical spine can be treated nonoperatively, any injuries with neurologic deficits, instability, or ligamentous injury require instrumentation and fusion. It is crucial to recognize injuries to the cervical spine and the different treatment options. Computed tomography can be very helpful in defining the bony injury and evaluating the spinal canal, whereas magnetic resonance imaging can better evaluate the spinal cord and assess ligamentous injury.     

Resveratrol inhibits tumor growth of human neuroblastoma and mediates apoptosis by directly targeting mitochondria.

PURPOSE: Neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood disease of the sympathetic nervous system. Treatments are often ineffective and have serious side effects. Because resveratrol, a natural plant product, has been reported to have limited toxicity at chemotherapeutic levels, we investigated its efficacy in the treatment of neuroblastoma as well as its underlying mechanism of action. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Resveratrol was tested in mouse xenograft models of human neuroblastoma and in vitro using human cell lines. RESULTS: Resveratrol inhibited the outgrowth of tumors by as much as 80%. The bioavailability of the drug in serum was in the low micromolar range (2-10 micromol/L) and no accumulation was observed in tumor tissue. When resveratrol levels were increased by peritumor injection, rapid tumor regression occurred. Resveratrol decreased tumor cell viability in vitro by 75% to 90%, resulting from an inhibition of cell proliferation and an induction of apoptosis. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential was an early response to resveratrol. In addition, resveratrol treatment of isolated mitochondria also led to depolarization, suggesting that the drug may target mitochondria directly. Following depolarization, resveratrol caused the release of cytochrome c and Smac/Diablo from the mitochondria and subsequently the activation of caspase-9 (4- to 8-fold) and caspase-3 (4- to 6-fold). CONCLUSIONS: These studies indicate that, despite low bioavailability, resveratrol is effective at inhibiting tumor growth. Elevated levels of resveratrol enhance its antitumor potency leading to tumor regression, associated with widespread tumor cell death, the underlying mechanism of which involves the direct activation of the mitochondrial intrinsic apoptotic pathway.